The ant looked up and tried to bite at the silver-haired woman with its mandibles, however, roots grew out of the ground, wrapped the ants mandibles, and slammed its head into the ground. The silver haired lady jumped and plunged her blade into the ant’s head.

The two other ants scurried to the lady. More roots, cast by the two sisters, came up and bound their large insects to the earth. The earth rumbled. More ants were coming up. I backed away and slid down the mountain face. Perhaps this wasn’t the fight for me. I wasn’t even halfway to my maximum potential. Fighting beasts now was suicide.

“Watcha doing.”

I jerked back, Gino floated there with a large grin. Behind him the fire raged on. Hopefully it would peter out on its own. It was a somewhat small and isolated forest after all “I used my powers to get the mushrooms; I didn’t know there’d be a fight. Hopefully, you understand that I can’t grant you the same quality gift since I’ve used some of my powers.” In his cloud, oval mushrooms twirled about.

#

“We have your mushrooms,” I called out.

The door opened, and the old witch peeked out. She inspected the mushroom in my hand before grabbing them. She moved them about in her hands. Her long, pointed, and scum filled nails pressed into a mushroom head. Black goo trickled out. It resembled the ants’ drool. I peeked inside her abode. Wooden shelves cram full of blurry glass jars covered her walls. Inside, all matter of things were preserved. From plants, rocks, powders to animals, to fish and rats. All stored in a dark orange liquid.

“Ho, ho, these are nice and fresh. Wait a few hours, it’s almost done growing,” she said and closed the door.

“Ya wanna go inside?” asked Gino.

I wasn’t sure. “Mayb—”

“Well, tough luck, we got some else to do.” A light breeze pushed me away from the witch’s abode.

“Are we going to make the village accept him back?”

Gino shook his head. “We have to accomplish the wishes in the proper order, for now, we’ll just go level up. I’m also a beast and have the same aspirations as you and the others.”

That was true. “What kind of animal were you before?” I asked.

“An elf,” he answered. “And you?”

“A raven.”

“Hmmm… Sometimes I wonder why life works the way it does.” He took a right which led down a hill.

Short trees covered in long pointed leaves grew here. The top of my head touched the lowest leaf, and I had to squeeze through tightly packed trunks to get through.

In the distance, I spotted four goblins making rounds. Their small greyish-green heads bobbed up and down. “I’ll take the two on the right.” I said.

“Nah, you’re fine. Ya need some practice. Try not to burn down the forest.”

I nodded and created a fireball, however, instead of sending it flying I condensed the flames until it formed the closest thing to a bolt I could manage. The goblins dashed towards me, one behind the other, bats raised high. Their sight mustn’t be as good as mine. I let loose the bolt. The first goblin jumped aside, and my flame hit the second goblin’s chest. He fell on his stomach, rolled aside clutching his charred chest, and let out screams of agony. The next goblin tripped over him.

I formed another bolt and shot it towards the one who dodged my first one. He jumped to the right, over a large rock and swung down his bat. I stepped back, created a fireball with my remaining mana and fired it at its head. Consumed by the flames he dropped his bat. I picked it up and broke it against his skull. The two other goblins ran away. Their strides were odd and uneven, especially the one with a charred chest.

You killed two goblins, you gained 100 Exp.

LVL 3. 600/1100 Exp.

“You ain’t got no mana left, do you?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know who went on about beasts being so strong earlier. About how they were nothing but food. Those three humans managed to kill three beasts without issue.”

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

The goblins screeched, still running away at a slow pace. I caught up to them and stuck my fingers in their eyes. It was easier than magic or weapons.

Gino hesitantly laughed and continued with our previous conversation, “I know it’s a bit unfair, but that’s because those ants were shit beasts, and they may not have been fully levelled up, those three humans most definitely were. Plus, that shining blade wasn’t a normal sword. Just learn to be humble and it’ll work out. We’re humanoids. When we max out our levels, no animals will be our match.” He raised a finger. “We’ll only have to worry about other beasts such as dragons, vampires, high elves and the like.” He raised another finger. “Of course, many animals can do you in if you aren’t careful. Well, for now all we can do is level up.”

You killed two goblins, you gained 100 Exp.

LVL 3. 700/1100 Exp.

We continued deeper into the forest, splitting the kills half-and-half. When my mana regenerated, I tried my best to mold my magic to my will, changing its shape, speed, intensity, and other criteria. I could never modify much, but everyone needed to start somewhere.

The goblins lived in a small camp made of tree trunks bound together with vines. They weren’t led by a hobgoblin or goblin shaman, so we wiped them out without issue.

You killed seven goblins, you gained 350 Exp.

LVL 3. 1050/1100 Exp.

“See, it ain’t too hard to level up.”

I nodded. “But it takes time.”

“Sure does, but it’ll go faster when we become adults and get missions.”

“Does it?” I asked.

Gino looked aside. “I hope.”

#

“Is that supposed to be a child?” I held a large jar. Inside, a disgusting creature slept with its head pressed against the bottom of the jar. A chubby, grey-skinned human whose head took up half the space, with a torso as thin as my forearm, and legs no more than little stumps, and one could see its small red heartbeat through its semi-transparent skin. If I flipped the container over, the head would, no doubt, crush its lower body. “I want to puke.” I put down the container and crouched behind a tree. Acid travelled up my throat, into my mouth, but I unconsciously swallowed it back down. “I need water.”

Gino pointed somewhere. “There’s a small stream over there.”

I ran over, plunged my head in water, and rinsed my mouth. My throat tingled, but it was better than it burning.

“Let’s go, I don’t like these things either,” said Gino.

“Do you really think he’s going to tell you his next wish after seeing this?” I lay down on my stomach, letting the river tide soothe my heart.

“Unfortunately, yes. Get used to it. Animals have wicked desires.”

I turned over onto my back. “What’s your wish?” I asked. A leaf abandoned its branch, fluttered down onto my eyes. The water tickled my feet.

“I want to be a spirit,” Gino spoke softly. “I want to wander this world forever. To see many sights, to hear many songs, to admire many flowers. I want to grant power to those with conviction and see joy in those who suffered.”

A strong wind carried away the leaf, and in its place, a silver cloud appeared.

“What’s your wish?” asked Gino.

“I want to see Rose again.” The silver shaped itself into a heart. I didn’t tell him the full truth, for something else had begun to bud inside me. But I wanted to ignore it since it didn’t belong in my heart.

“So, it is for love. That is admirable.” Gino and I continued to whisper of the wind and the hum of the river. “I have a grudge against those who bring pain upon others, and I assume you have a grudge against those who took your lover. We are beasts because we are noble; animals are animals because they wish for retribution. Now, if you wish to become a being, what does it take? What differentiates us from beings? That is what you and I should ask.”

I nodded. “I suppose this was the first reward. To level up a bit.”

“It was our reward. Rewards are granted at random as long as they are worth less than the task accomplished. We could have been the first to hear those words. We gins grow at the whims of others. It is just unfortunate that growth isn’t always progressive or embraced.”

#

The man fell to his knees. He clutched the jar close to his chest. “What do you mean, this is my child?”

Gino waited a second before speaking. Although he had done this before it wasn’t any easier. Hunger and the wish to become a spirit pushed him forward. “This is your child. Made with your hair and the ovums of a witch. It is in all but your acceptance, your child.”

The man stood silent, the baby he so dearly wanted, now a repulsive mass in his arms. He cried. I turned around and went to sit behind a tree. Although far, I still heard his stomach rumble and he vomited. I couldn’t hold back either and did the same. Viscous red liquid splattered on the grass. I got up and ran inside his hut. There I found a jug of water. I scooped some out and rinsed out my mouth.

Gino continued to speak, “What’s your next wish?”

He opened his mouth but held back his words, but something pushed them out and with a stutter he spoke, “P…Ple…Please, mak…the village accept me back. You…need a village to raise a child, no?” Although tears smudged his smile, he was a word away from breaking down and crying once again.